The Messner Foundation

Messner Scholars: Developing the Leadership Potential of the Next Generation 

The Messner Foundation identifies underprivileged high school students who have demonstrated leadership traits and gives those students the resources and connections they need to flourish. The goal of the Messner Foundation is to cultivate the next generation of business and community leaders.

Potential leaders begin emerging in high school. While some students are avoiding responsibility and trying to get by doing the bare minimum, others are demonstrating leadership traits: taking initiative, striving to improve, seeking obligations. Some students may start a school club or compete for first chair in the orchestra; others may accept responsibility as captain of an athletic team or seek executive positions within youth organizations. The Messner Foundation seeks out potential future leaders, focusing on motivated, underprivileged high school students who embrace challenges.

The Messner Foundation not only helps its Scholars financially, but also provides them unparalleled formative life experiences. Assistance begins in the form of college scholarships. Along the way, Scholars receive personal and professional guidance from the Messner Foundation and business and community leaders. While Messner Scholars are in college, the Messner Foundation arranges for them to have meaningful internships and jobs with Denver businesses. After Messner Scholars graduate from college, the Messner Foundation provides networks and connections to support Scholars' goals and ambitions.

Of course, every leader demands results from themselves and others. The Messner Foundation will follow its Scholars to ensure they are working hard, taking initiative, and holding themselves to the highest of standards. The Messner Foundation will not give students a blank check for a four-year education. On the contrary, the Messner Foundation will continue providing scholarship funds and assistance only to Scholars who continue to accept responsibility, seek opportunity, and strive for achievement.

The Messner Foundation takes lessons from Messner & Reeves' clients and applies them to its philanthropic giving. Messner & Reeves has been honored to work closely with young companies with great potential, and has seen how investment in these future corporate leaders can pay huge dividends. One excellent example is Monty Moran's tireless work with a small start up restaurant that came to Monty and Messner & Reeves in the late 1990s for legal counsel - Chipotle Mexican Grill. Chipotle is now a publicly traded international company and a leader in the restaurant industry

The Messner Foundation believes that similar potential for growth and excellence exists in our high schools, just waiting to be discovered. The Messner Foundation sincerely hopes that you will take advantage of Messner & Reeves' expertise by making a donation to the Messner Foundation; a donation that will help develop tomorrow's business and community leaders.